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Jan 24, 2013
01/13
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i'm proud to be a united states senator to serve in this illustrious body. i have been in the majority and the minority, i think, up to five times in the senate. before that, i served ten years in the house. i love this senate. it is a wonderful institution. it is, as envisioned by our founders, the senate at sometimes have been frustratingly slow to encompass the changes necessary for the smooth functioning of our -- of our country. i mention in particular the long, long struggle for civil rights and how that was held up by a small minority which happened to be in my party, by the way, at that time. but nonetheless, the senate through the years has really been the chamber that takes a long and hard look at legislation, where we have the right to amend, where we have the right to discuss and to embark upon discourse on legislation in a manner that allows even the smallest state, the smallest state to be able to be represented as much as a large state. not true in the body that both the occupant of the chair and i used to serve in in the house because there,
i'm proud to be a united states senator to serve in this illustrious body. i have been in the majority and the minority, i think, up to five times in the senate. before that, i served ten years in the house. i love this senate. it is a wonderful institution. it is, as envisioned by our founders, the senate at sometimes have been frustratingly slow to encompass the changes necessary for the smooth functioning of our -- of our country. i mention in particular the long, long struggle for civil...
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Jan 24, 2013
01/13
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why does that define the united states senate? it seems to me the senate was defined in the constitution where we have two senators from every state, small and large. where we're elected every six years, not every two. where the senate has certain functions on treaties, on nominations. and that the house of representatives doesn't have them. and where the constitution is very clear, there are five times when the senate must have a supermajority to act. again, i would point out that the senate will by its very nature, even under my reform proposal or that by mr. udall or mr. merkley would still operate based on unanimous consent. and each senator will continue to understand that maintaining good relationships with all senators, working hard to become experts on issues will remain the essence of what it means to be a senator. not the ability to filibuster. so to those who say we'll become more like the house, i say, no, that's not going to happen. you say well it could. well, sure it could. some future senate could wipe out all the
why does that define the united states senate? it seems to me the senate was defined in the constitution where we have two senators from every state, small and large. where we're elected every six years, not every two. where the senate has certain functions on treaties, on nominations. and that the house of representatives doesn't have them. and where the constitution is very clear, there are five times when the senate must have a supermajority to act. again, i would point out that the senate...
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Jan 31, 2013
01/13
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it deserves our support in the united states senate. i congratulate speaker boehner on his leadership with regard to this issue and the house for its bipartisan approach to a tough but necessary vote. let us pass this legislation today and move on to debate over what further deficit-reduction options need to keep america's economy moving forward. in the words of lincoln, "the occasion is piled high with difficulty and we must rise with the occasion." thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. hatch: mr. president, right now the federal debt stands at roughly $16.4 trilli trillion. i don't know how anyone can hear that number and not be appalled. nor do i believe there's been -- there will be over ten years $2.5 trillion in deficit reduction. in fact, i don't see any deficit reduction except perhaps bringing our soldiers back. but that's not particularly deficit reduction, since it looks like we're going to have difficulty maintaining the military in the -- wit
it deserves our support in the united states senate. i congratulate speaker boehner on his leadership with regard to this issue and the house for its bipartisan approach to a tough but necessary vote. let us pass this legislation today and move on to debate over what further deficit-reduction options need to keep america's economy moving forward. in the words of lincoln, "the occasion is piled high with difficulty and we must rise with the occasion." thank you, mr. president. i yield...
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Jan 29, 2013
01/13
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of massachusetts in the united states senate. now, we know about his service on the senate foreign relations committee. i want to talk about two other committees that he served on, the senate finance committee that i had the privilege of serving with him. there is no senator that has taken the fiscal challenges of our country more seriously or understands the impact that our fiscal house has to our national security interests. in fact, during his confirmation hearings, i was very pleased that he mentioned the need for us to get our fiscal house in order. and he is one of the -- i think understands that and understands the commitment he has, once confirmed and once heading the state department, to help us in bringing about fiscal sanity here in the united states, to do what is necessary worldwide but also to do it in a most cost-effective way. i also served with senator kerry on the small business committee, and the small business community didn't have a better advocate when senator kerry was chairman of that committee. and i was
of massachusetts in the united states senate. now, we know about his service on the senate foreign relations committee. i want to talk about two other committees that he served on, the senate finance committee that i had the privilege of serving with him. there is no senator that has taken the fiscal challenges of our country more seriously or understands the impact that our fiscal house has to our national security interests. in fact, during his confirmation hearings, i was very pleased that...
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Jan 30, 2013
01/13
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but just two years later he was elected to the united states senate. he served in the senate for five terms. he's had -- he's always been an unflinching advocate for veterans. he helped found the vietnam veterans for america. he's helped to secure treatment for service members dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. he's deserved six years in the senate intelligence committee and 28 years on the foreign relations committee. he's been a leading advocate of doing something about global climate change. senator kerry has convened eight major hearings and round tables on the one hand climate change since taking the gavel as chair of the foreign relations committee, replacing vice president biden. it was in the early 1990's that senator kerry's brilliant mind and exceptional dedication came to my attention. i had the good fortune of being chosen by leader mitchell to be a member of the collect select e on p.o.w.-mia. it was the believe of many that there were live americans either in cambodia, laos, many in vietnam. we hadn't done as much as many people
but just two years later he was elected to the united states senate. he served in the senate for five terms. he's had -- he's always been an unflinching advocate for veterans. he helped found the vietnam veterans for america. he's helped to secure treatment for service members dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. he's deserved six years in the senate intelligence committee and 28 years on the foreign relations committee. he's been a leading advocate of doing something about global...
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Jan 25, 2013
01/13
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i think this is one of the great committees of the united states senate. and it is the only major committee and i have served on since c-span2 when i arrived in the senate in 1985. as you know, the committee carries special consequential responsibilities with respect to the security of our nation. i think each and every one of you for this serious consideration that you give and have given to the challenging issues and for the remarkable cooperation and i have had as chairman of the committee. if confirmed, i look for to continuing to work particularly closely with all of you as we tackle some of the toughest issues and challenges that i have seen in the entire time i have served on this committee. i am particularly welcoming to the new members in the regard. and very grateful to president obama for nominating me and entrusting me with the support responsibility, and i am particularly grateful to secretary clinton, senator mccain, and senator warren for their introductions of me just now. i will not take it personally that this may be the one item in washi
i think this is one of the great committees of the united states senate. and it is the only major committee and i have served on since c-span2 when i arrived in the senate in 1985. as you know, the committee carries special consequential responsibilities with respect to the security of our nation. i think each and every one of you for this serious consideration that you give and have given to the challenging issues and for the remarkable cooperation and i have had as chairman of the committee....
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Feb 1, 2013
02/13
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if the senate had gone to a 51-vote body it would have changed the nature of the united states senate forever. >> before we leave the president, senator schumer, you had a little quality time for the president recently. one of the many hats you wear you're the chairman of the joint inaugural committee. among your chairman as joint inaugural committee are to? >> ride in the limo with the president alone. it is a very nice limo. in any case, you know, we had a very good conversation. in fact it was not different, than the one we had here about what the next four years are going to be like. and i think, you know, i don't want to give away the president's thoughts but i expressed the same thing that we expressed here, that it will get better. there will be more agreement. and the president i think agreed with that. >> what is the car like? >> plush. [laughter] big. heavy. and the windows are very thick but you can see out of them. they can't see in but you can see out. >> what else did you talk about? >> that was the main thing. the main thing was that. i didn't want to, my staff gave me
if the senate had gone to a 51-vote body it would have changed the nature of the united states senate forever. >> before we leave the president, senator schumer, you had a little quality time for the president recently. one of the many hats you wear you're the chairman of the joint inaugural committee. among your chairman as joint inaugural committee are to? >> ride in the limo with the president alone. it is a very nice limo. in any case, you know, we had a very good conversation....
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Jan 28, 2013
01/13
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we haven't used the process that is in place here in the united states senate to go through committees and let the committees work through, is this essential to meeting the emergency needs? or can we set this aside and spend a little more time examining it, looking at it to make sure that this is how we want to go forward? we have a habit here of throwing money at things under an emergency category and then later finding out that, one, it wasn't an emergency where the money went. and, number two, it was misspent and not effective. we simply can't afford to keep doing this. once again i want to state we're not here trying to undermine funding for sandy, needed for sandy. some of the things the house did i think are legitimate in terms of saying let's set aside unrelated matters. it doesn't mean we cast them into the dust bin never to be seen again. it simply means let's let those that are not emergency situations be more carefully examined in terms of whether we need that. and if someone does come to the floor, as senator lee is going to do, is my understanding, and offers a potential o
we haven't used the process that is in place here in the united states senate to go through committees and let the committees work through, is this essential to meeting the emergency needs? or can we set this aside and spend a little more time examining it, looking at it to make sure that this is how we want to go forward? we have a habit here of throwing money at things under an emergency category and then later finding out that, one, it wasn't an emergency where the money went. and, number...
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Jan 29, 2013
01/13
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these are really three very fine additions to the united states senate. and in the case of senator klobuchar and senator coons, they're two respected members on the senate judiciary committee and senator rubio, who in my view is one of the most knowledgeable senators we have on immigration policy and as you can see, a terrific leader in so many other way, we send a strong message that both sides of the aisle can come together to craft bipartisan legislation to address one of our country's most urgent economic needs. yesterday eight of our colleagues unveiled a framework to overhaul our nation's immigration system. i'm proud of them. i commend them for their willingness to work in a bipartisan way to reform our immigration laws. it's very much needed and one of the leaders is our own senator rubio, as well as senator schumer and senator mccain, and others as well, but i hate to not mention -- but i think you get the point. similarly, the work that senators klobuchar, rubio, coons, and i have done in crafting the i-squared act of 2013 was no easy task and r
these are really three very fine additions to the united states senate. and in the case of senator klobuchar and senator coons, they're two respected members on the senate judiciary committee and senator rubio, who in my view is one of the most knowledgeable senators we have on immigration policy and as you can see, a terrific leader in so many other way, we send a strong message that both sides of the aisle can come together to craft bipartisan legislation to address one of our country's most...
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Jan 28, 2013
01/13
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states senate. well, this administration, i'm sorry to say, has not respected that checks and balances as i would hoped it would. i would suggest maybe a retreat to mount vernon for president obama and the white house staff. the obama administration has appointed more czars than the romonovs. we've always had some czars, such as the drug czar, but they have three dozen, three dozen who aren't subject to the usual restrictions that we -- that we have through the appropriations process. and the most blatant example of the imperial presidency are the recess appointments at a time when the senate, according to this court, was not in recess in order to put on to those positions men and women with whom the senate would not agree. if the president could do what the president did on january 4, 2012, on a regular basis, we might take a recess break for lunch and come back and find we have a new supreme court justice. so, mr. president, i'm here to suggest that the right thing to do would be to respect the tr
states senate. well, this administration, i'm sorry to say, has not respected that checks and balances as i would hoped it would. i would suggest maybe a retreat to mount vernon for president obama and the white house staff. the obama administration has appointed more czars than the romonovs. we've always had some czars, such as the drug czar, but they have three dozen, three dozen who aren't subject to the usual restrictions that we -- that we have through the appropriations process. and the...
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Jan 28, 2013
01/13
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states senate and congress who when he authored the iranian freedom and security act. he authored the syria accountability act. now, those were not just since the things have percolated in the arab spring, those were well in advance. he knows more about the interactions between ahmadinejad and chavez than i think every politician. so in terms of who our enemy is, where's the war being fought, you know, he was the first one who used the term at the press club in washington, d.c., our enemy is islamofascism. george bush used that term, and then karen hughes said you can't use that term because it might alienate the muslim community. just like in christianity, we have people who handle snakes and speak in tongues and people who might show up on easter and christmas. of that whole realm also spans in islam. i was at a table with -- [inaudible] when he received the reward from a foundation in l.a. which i understand is kind of the largest representative of the jewish community. it was for his holding a conference in indonesia that brought imams and survivors from the holoca
states senate and congress who when he authored the iranian freedom and security act. he authored the syria accountability act. now, those were not just since the things have percolated in the arab spring, those were well in advance. he knows more about the interactions between ahmadinejad and chavez than i think every politician. so in terms of who our enemy is, where's the war being fought, you know, he was the first one who used the term at the press club in washington, d.c., our enemy is...